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Monument details

HER Number:TQ 85 SE 182
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:THE LOCK-UP OR MORTUARY

Summary

Grade II listed building. Main construction periods 1700 to 1732 18th c Lock up - now a store


Grid Reference:TQ 89864 52239
Map Sheet:TQ85SE
Parish:LENHAM, MAIDSTONE, KENT

Monument Types

  • LOCK UP (Post Medieval to Modern - 1700 AD to 2050 AD)
  • MORTUARY (PRISON, Post Medieval to Modern - 1700 AD to 2050 AD)
  • PRISON (Post Medieval to Modern - 1700 AD to 2050 AD)
Protected Status:Listed Building (II) 1186182: THE LOCK-UP OR MORTUARY; Scheduled Monument 1005138: Lock-up, Lenham

Full description

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Description from record TQ 85 SE 120:
[TQ 8986 5224 - sited from HHR map] The Lock-Up or Mortuary, Grade II. Mortuary, later used as lock-up, now store. Early 18th century. Coursed stone with plain tile roof. Scheduled Ancient Monument. (For full description see list.) (1) Mention. (2) The Lock-up (used as a store) is well preserved. (3) [TQ 898 528] Lenham Lock-up. (Erroneously sited, grid reference should read TQ 898 522.) (4) [TQ 8986 5225] An early 18th century lock-up built of large dressed ashlar with a tiled roof. The facade has a heavy pediment which is surmounted by a stone cross. The round-headed rusticated archway has now been bricked up. Scheduled. (5) Additional bibliography. (6)
From the Register of Scheduled Monuments:

Early 18th century stone lock-up of large dressed ashlar. Façade with heavy pediment and surmounted by a stone cross. Round headed doorway of two recessed orders, now bricked up.
The original doorway is no longer bricked up, there is a wooden door in the round headed opening. A later opening with double doors can be seen on the SW wall (8).

From the National Heritage List for England:

List entry Description
Summary of Monument
The mortuary and lock-up, 10m north-east of No.2 Faversham Road.

Reasons for Designation
A mortuary is a building or room used for holding, viewing or identifying dead bodies prior to burial or cremation. The early 18th century example at Lenham was attached to a workhouse. It was a secure and well-sited at the centre of Lenham and would have been easily adapted to its later use as a lock-up. Lock-ups, also known as round houses, blind houses and clinks, are temporary holding places for offenders being brought before the magistrate. Sometimes a cell was located in or under a public building, but most lock-ups were purpose built, usually small square, rectangular, octagonal or occasionally circular stone buildings. Most were windowless with one or two ventilation grilles, often set under the eaves or into the single door. The earliest recorded lock-up dates from the 13th century, and most fell out of use when police stations with their own holding facilities were established.

Despite some later alterations, the mortuary and lock-up, 10m north-east of No.2 Faversham Road survives well. It retains architectural details such as the arched doorway, triangular pediment and stone cross.

History
See Details.

Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 16 March 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes an early 18th century mortuary, later used as a lock-up, situated on the west side of Faversham Road in Lenham. It is orientated at a right-angle to the road with the north wall continuing as the rear ground-floor wall of a row of almshouses.

The mortuary is a single storey building constructed of coursed stone with a plain tile roof. It is set on a moulded plinth and has a stone band about 1m above the ground. Facing the street is a recessed door with a semi-circular stone head springing from fluted impost bands. The outer arch is of rusticated with large keystones breaking into the base of a triangular pediment above. The pediment is surmounted by a squat stone cross. There are wooden double doors in the south-wall.

The building originally served as a mortuary, associated with a workhouse on the site, which has since been demolished. It was later used as the village lock-up but is now in use as a store(9)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
LENHAM FAVERSHAM ROAD TQ 8952 (west side)
10/153 The Lock-Up or Mortuary 20.10.52. GV II Mortuary, later used as Lock-up, now store. Early C18. Coursed stone with plain tile roof. At right-angles to road, with stone north side wall continued as rear ground-floor wall of north row of Douglas Almshouses. Single storey on moulded plinth, top of which is now at ground level. Projecting stone band circa 3'6" from ground. Wall canted out slightly between band and plinth. Tall recessed door to street, with semi-circular stone head springing from fluted impost bands. Outer arch of heavy, projecting, rusticated stone voussoirs with large keystones breaking into base of pediment. Triangular pediment with projecting stone coping surmounted by squat stone cross. Wooden double doors to left end of left side elevation. Associated with an early C18 workhouse on the site, since demolished. Scheduled Ancient Monument. Listing NGR: TQ8986452239 (10)


English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<1> DOE (HHR) Boro of Maidstone Kent 14 Dec 1984 76 (OS Card Reference). SKE39873.

<2> Bldgs of Eng W Kent & the Weald 1969 (N Pevsner & J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE37834.

<3> F1 MJF 12-Mar-86 (OS Card Reference). SKE43025.

<4> DOE (IAM) AMs Eng 2 1978 114 (OS Card Reference). SKE40691.

<5> DOE (IAM) record form plan 3.9.53 (OS Card Reference). SKE40762.

<6> Bldgs of Eng-West Kent & the Weald (OS Card Reference). SKE38131.

<7> Field report for monument TQ 85 SE 32 - March, 1986 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4472.

<8> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<9> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

<10> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
---XYMap: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. [Mapped feature: #28369 listed building, ]
<1>OS Card Reference: DOE (HHR) Boro of Maidstone Kent 14 Dec 1984 76.
<2>OS Card Reference: Bldgs of Eng W Kent & the Weald 1969 (N Pevsner & J Newman).
<3>OS Card Reference: F1 MJF 12-Mar-86.
<4>OS Card Reference: DOE (IAM) AMs Eng 2 1978 114.
<5>OS Card Reference: DOE (IAM) record form plan 3.9.53.
<6>OS Card Reference: Bldgs of Eng-West Kent & the Weald.
<7>Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 85 SE 32 - March, 1986.
<8>Scheduling record: English Heritage. Register of Scheduled Monuments.
<9>Index: Historic England. National Heritage List for England.
<10>XYMap: English Heritage. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. [Mapped feature: #28369 listed building, ]